Eulogy for Summer with Pictures by Monica Raduta

Our world demands
We release
Summer to autumn
We must let go
Of summer goodness
And instead gird
Ourselves for coming
Storms and coldness
Creeping in like spiders
Across the floors
Take hold of summer
Of the heat
Of the perfume of flowers
The fruit
Soft grass between toes
Cool waters flowing
Turning fields green
We turn our heads
Watching birds wing
Away fleeing coming
Chills while we must
Stay
Watch the last butterfly
Struggle against autumn
Winds come early
Vivid colors chased
Away by
Our rotating world’s tilt
Of all things
We lose this season
Of growing, health, and beauty
Look fully at the changing
Leaves to bold reds, yellows,
And oranges
Small compensation for
Summer’s loss
Steal a bit of summer
Dried in flowers
Bottled in jams
Stirred into sauces
While snow piles up